Needy residents of all ages and colors feasted Wednesday at the Bay Area Rescue Mission in Richmond’s Iron Triangle.

Volunteers from all parts of the East Bay served turkey, stuffing, salad, mashed potatoes, corn and pumpkin pie to more than 1,000 people at the mission’s annual Great Thanksgiving Banquet, held in a tent on Macdonald Avenue.

Later in the day, the mission would serve another 4,000 meals — as it does every day. In addition, more than 600 families received bags of groceries Tuesday to make a Thanksgiving meal at home.

Dave and Sandy Weber, a retired couple from Rossmoor, have been volunteering with the mission for about five years and were at the tent Wednesday to share the spirit of thanks and goodwill. They also brought donations of toys and wrapping paper for the annual children’s Christmas party.

The couple said they find fulfillment in the time they devote to volunteering.

“I don’t know who gets the bigger benefit, me or them,” said Sandy Weber, who delivers food to shut-ins once a month.

The mission, which also provides shelter for 325 people each night, receives almost half its donations during the last three months of the year. However, charitable giving is down sharply this year, said the Rev. John Anderson, president and CEO of the privately funded nonprofit organization.

Demand is higher than ever, but donations in October were down 40 percent from a year ago, he said, while November donations are behind by 45 percent.

“We’re operating with a $125,000 deficit this year,” he said. “I’m really concerned about the impact that is going to have on the homeless men and women. If things don’t change, there may not be food, there may not be a shelter at the mission.”

The decline in donations even threatened the Thanksgiving banquet, he said. “But people came through and provided the resources to do this.”

"There is a general recognition that we don't need these military-style weapons in New Zealand, so it's very easy to win cross-party support for this," said Mark Mitchell, who was defense minister in the previous, center-right government and who supports the ban initiated by the center-left-led Labour Party.